Overcrowded festival trains send tempers soaring

The pressure of the annual Ganpati festival is adding to the perils of the single line Konkan Railway network, with some or the other problem hitting it every single day. On Tuesday morning, agitated passengers held up an overcrowded train for two hours as there was no space to sit. The agitation led to further delays on the delicately balanced operational plan, which sees over 200 trains pass through the network every single day.

On Sunday, the Madgaon Mumbai AC Double Decker train where the air-conditioner of the C1 coach malfunctioned and commuters tore out the window panes of the train. The railways refunded some passengers. Last week, the Kochuveli train that started from Mumbai on its way to Kerala had to be detained at Roha after the Ganpati general class passengers crowded an AC compartment and the RPF had to summon the Roha police to get the crowd out.

"On Tuesday, the Ratnagiri Dadar train that arrived at Ratnagiri did not have space for passengers despite the fact that the train originates from there. When it came from Madgaon, the train was packed. So, angry passengers blocked the train for two hours. Many of them had to reach Mumbai as it was a working day," Rajesh Sanap, a passenger said. "It has become impossible to get into any Konkan Railway trains during the Ganpati festival," said Jayesh Biwalkar, another commuter said. A senior railway official said, "The railways have run more than 200 special trains for Ganpati, and there is a limit to how many trains can run on a system without problems."

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates